The present invention relates to a device for providing a predeterminable concentration of at least one component in a liquid medium, in particular in a microscopic sample, said device including a feeding device for the at least one component. The present invention further relates to a corresponding method for providing a predeterminable concentration of at least one component in a liquid medium.
Devices and methods of the above-mentioned type are known in the art. Such known devices may be used, for example, in microscopy applications, where specific amounts of solutions are pipetted; i.e., fed to samples by pipetting robots. Also known in the field of microscopy are devices that are used to inject a specific amount of an active substance into, for example, cells or into the solution containing the cells. Perfusion chambers are also used in microscopy applications. Here too, a predeterminable concentration of at least one component is provided in a liquid medium with the aid of a feeding device for the at least one component.
The known devices and methods are problematic in that the concentration of the at least one component may vary over time due to cell reactions or because of external influences. This results in corruption of measurements, so that, for example, certain long-term measurements cannot be carried out using the known devices and methods. In addition, the sample, and thus, the course of the experiment can thus be actively influenced by adjusting the concentration of the at least one component.